StarCraft was one of the most LAN-friendly games on the market when it was first released, giving players the option to install a “spawn” of the game on the other computers using one CD key. This spawned install allowed multiplayer with up to eight players, meaning that if you had one copy of the game, you could invite seven friends over with their systems and no one else needed to buy the game

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Now, if you want to hook up a few computers in your basement without an Internet connection, you won’t be able to play against each other at all. The LAN party is a dying thing in the world of built-in voice chat and high-speed Internet connections, but it’s not dead yet… especially among those who grew up playing StarCraft.